Pentagon: Haditha civilians shot deliberately

Evidence collected on the deaths of 24 Iraqis in Haditha supports accusations that US Marines deliberately shot the civilians, including unarmed women and children, a Pentagon official said on Aug. 2. Agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service have completed their initial work on the incident last November, but may be asked to probe further as Marine Corps and Navy prosecutors review the evidence and determine whether to recommend criminal charges, according to two Pentagon officials who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity. The Marines initially reported after the Nov. 19, 2005, killings that 15 Iraqi civilians at Haditha had been killed by a makeshift roadside bomb and in crossfire between Marines and insurgent attackers. Another investigation is examining whether officers in the Marines' chain of command tried to cover up the events. Public attention on the Haditha case grew after Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), a former Marine, asserted publicly on May 17 that he had learned from Marine Corps officials that innocent Iraqis had been killed "in cold blood."